Reverse Sod Swap, The Swap – April 9th/10th 2024

An exchange of turfs between West Wales and East London

Mike Perry marking out turf circle, West Wales

In 1983, land artist David Nash transplanted a piece of rough North Wales countryside (8 m turf circle) into the lawn of the Serpentine Gallery as part of The British Sculpture show. He was bringing a bit of the rural environment to the city. He took the pristine circle of London grass back to Wales where he continued to mow it for several years. He called it ‘Sod Swap’. A botanist counted 27 species in the Welsh turf and 3 species in the London turf.

In 2024, with David Nash’s support, I transplanted a circle of ‘wilded’ turf from East London into a field in West Wales. The Welsh ‘sheep mown’ turf was taken to East London (Springfield Park) where it has been mowed regularly. I called it ‘Reverse Sod Swap’. I took a piece of inner city ‘wildness’ to the countryside and brought a piece of farmed countryside to the inner city. I wanted to compare the impacts of enlightened ‘wilding’ of our inner city parks with the degrading impacts of monoculture farming in our National Parks, areas of so called ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’.

Welsh turf circle removed, ready for exchange with London turf.

Marking out circle with volunteers, Springfield Park, Hackney, London

Last few Welsh turfs going in at Springfield Park.

Hackney sods on van ready to go to Wales

Onlookers in Wales. Sods from Springfield Park waiting to be bedded in.

Starting at 7.00am Tuesday April 9th, 2024 we cut out 84 turf sods from a ring 8 metres wide. Each sod was 90cms long by 30cms wide, 10cms deep, weighing aprox 30kgs. They were loaded into a van and transported to Springfield Park, East London. We unloaded the van early Wednesday 10th April with the help of volunteer artists, urban gardeners and members of the local community. By mid- day we had exchanged sods from an identical circle marked out on a patch of meadow opposite Springfield House. The sods were driven back to Wales and were unloaded in the dark by local volunteers. I laid the turfs into the Welsh circle at Ffynnonofi Thursday morning with the help of gardener Matt Horgan.

Mike putting London sods into Welsh turf circle

The turfs fitted remarkably well. The last sod was aprox 3 inches too large, which was to be expected given the small gaps between sods. The London turfs already had signs of wild flowers emerging. I built a fence to keep sheep and Welsh ponies out of the site.

Hackney turf with wildflower being placed into circle in Wales

We’ve tried to make the project as green as possible. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find an electric vehicle that could take the weight. We will offset this carbon with the planting of a native hedgerow adjacent to the Welsh circle. We made the plastic carriers from a recycled plastic building membrane. The production from my studio in Wales has run 100% on renewable energy.

April 20th 2024. Springfield Park turf bedded in at Ffynnonofi farm, West Wales

After bedding in the London turf in Wales, we left it to see what would happen,. We kept the grasses within and outside the circle mown to the same height as the sheep grazed field. Very soon wildflowers started to emerge …see below

May 2024. Fenced off Hackney turf circle in Wales.

Update – May to June 2024

National Botanic Gardens of Wales surveying species in Hackney turf at Ffynnonofi, West Wales

May 22nd 2024, Springfield Park, East London

At Springfield Park, East London (above), various wild grasses and flowers started to come up around the Welsh turf.

June 1st 2024. Welsh turf circle at Springfield Park, East London

May 27th 2024, Springfield turf at Ffynnonofi, Wales. Slower growth due to cooler coastal air

June 1st, Springfield Park. Wildflowers coming up in the urban soil surrounding the farmed Welsh soil

June 1st, 2024. Springfield Park

June 8th, 2024, Ffynnonofi, Wales. London grasses growing again now we’ve kept rabbits off.

June 22nd 2024, Ffynnonofi, Wales

June 22nd, Corn Cockles. Hackney turf in Wales

National Botanic Gardens of Wales counted 39 species in the turf circle that came from East London. In London only 4 species were visible in the mown Welsh turf. We also, however, counted species in a similar patch of welsh turf that had been fenced off from the sheep. The botanists found 22 species here which demonstrates that as long as the soil hasn’t been damaged by pesticides and nitrates, there is plenty of potential for plant life in areas of farmland fenced off from heavy grazing.